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UNH Inventors Receive Three Patents: Number of university's active patents increases to seven

DURHAM, N.H. -- Three patents have been awarded to University of New
Hampshire researchers for inventions and processes developed at the university,
bringing the number of the university's active patents to seven.

"When we look at the technology that UNH is developing, we're constantly looking
for commercialization opportunities that use the technology and also build the
research programs of the university," says Bob Dalton, director of the Office of
Intellectual Property Management.

The Office of Intellectual Property Management, which opened in November 2000,
supports research programs through the protection of proprietary research by
patents, copyright, trademarks or other means. The office not only sees UNH
inventors through the process of applying for a patent, it pays the cost of the
patenting process, assists researchers in identifying federal programs that support
their research and helps them find commercial partners for their inventions.

Obtaining a patent is a time-consuming and costly process. Applying for a patent
costs about $12,000. If the patent is awarded -- nine of every 10 patents submitted to
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are rejected -- maintenance fees for the
20-year life of the patent run $3,000.

"If you look at UNH overall, there's a lot of fantastic research going on that we need
to be a little bit more focused on in commercializing," Dalton says.

Taylor Eighmy, professor of civil engineering, received a patent for his phosphate
mineral-based reactive barrier containment system. Eighmy, who helped establish the
Environmental Research Group in 1987, has focused his research on finding
solutions for environmental problems.

His invention is a containment system that employs a barrier to prevent the release of
contaminants from waste materials, sediments or dredged materials using a
phosphate mineral-based reaction. The barrier encapsulates the contaminated
materials and is designed to be used to contain heavy metals.

"His application is critical for treatment and containment of hazardous materials --
metal contamination -- both in dredging operations and in containment/restoration
operations. We think Taylor's technology is extremely broad and has huge potential,"
Dalton says. "We have two organizations right now that have expressed interest in
the technology."

James Ryan, John Macri and Mark McConnell received a patent for a method and
apparatus for imaging through three-dimensional tracking of protons. This invention
has real-world applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. It uses a
high-energy proton beam to deliver radiation as precisely as possible to tumors,
minimizing radiation to healthy tissue.

In the past, cancer treatment centers relied on X-rays with surgically implanted
markers that allowed a therapist to target radiation treatment at the tumor over the
span of multiple treatment sessions.

Originally designed to measure solar flare neutrons from spacecraft in Earth's orbit,
this invention eliminates the need for surgically implanted markers and delivers a
more exact target for therapists. The radiation beam can deliver the maximum dose of
treatment to the tumor -- and nothing else.

"It also has potential application in the environmental marketplace with monitoring so
it's a technology with application that is very broad," Dalton says.

Kevin Short, assistant professor of mathematics, and graduate students Dan Hussey
and Kimo Johnson, received a patent for a new method and apparatus for
compressed chaotic music synthesis. Short's invention provides a new method for
music synthesis. It produces musical waveforms that offer a rich, harmonic structure
and sound like musical instruments.

Real-world applications include use with synthesizers for which music compression
is critical, Dalton says.

Short's invention is based on Chaotic Compression Technology (CCT), which was
introduced by Chaoticom, UNH's first spin-out company launched in early 2001.
Chaoticom's investors include members of the eCoast Angel Network and Kodiak
Venture Partners.

Short has several patent applications pending that relate to CCT, including one that is
expected to be issued within three months that deals with encryption. Other CCT
uses include audio and video compression.